पंचाप्सरस्

यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः

Purana Encyclopedia

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

PAÑCĀPSARAS : A lake of distinction. During the exile of Śrī Rāma in the forests, Agastya showed Śrī Rāma this lake and described its origin thus: “In times of old a sage named Māṇḍakarṇi built this lake. This sage living on air alone stood in the waters of this lake and practised severe austerities for ten thousand years. Devas were frightened by the rigorous penance of Māṇḍakarṇi and they sent five devakanyakās (celestial damsels) to the earth to entice the sage and stop his penance. Tke sage was attracted by the divine beauty of the girls and he lived with them in a grand building constructed within the lake itself. Even after the passing away of the sage and the damsels people used to hear dance and music from inside the lake. Because five apsaras lived in that lake it became known as Pañcā- psaras.

(Apsaras = celestial damsels who are servants of Indra).

(Sarga 1, Araṇya Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa).


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*1st word in left half of page 553 (+offset) in original book.